It was a quiet April Fools Day by most standards. The day which was once looked forward to as an opportunity for sly, cheeky playfulness was instead met with indifference by Kenyans.
Still, for celebrities and corporations, it was a golden opportunity to flex their creative muscle, increase their visibility and engage with fans. And while there were a lot of misses, some pranks did create a little buzz. Here are some of the April Fools Day jokes Kenyans were treated to:
Collins Injera hangs up his boots
The two time Olympian, Kenya 7s Rugby crème de la crème, Collins Injera hung up his rugby boots through a picture shared on his social media. On it, he left a comment saying: "It’s time (peace sign) I enjoyed every moment."
Most of his fans were overwhelmed by emotions and expressed themselves with praises of what a GOAT he has been. Some fans went ahead to wish him well in his next chapter. Others poured out their desires to see him again possibly in a cooking show seeing that he has been displaying his yummy dishes online. Others were very sad and disappointed, quick to remind him that he had scored 104 tries only to retire!
But some fans would not be fooled. Collins later mused playfully: ‘What’s the date today?’ It must have been deeply heart-warming for the superstar to read how much genuine love he actually has from his fans.
Dj Kym Nick Dee chasing Arab money
A popular Kenyan entertainment tv channel posted on IG that Dj Kym Nick Dee was ‘Set to relocate to Dubai and change his name to 'Dj Khaleed bin NickDee’. This was followed by Nickdee’s shushing face emoji. His fans seem keen to know Nick’s movements all too well, with some saying, "Zile mutura za South B uwachie nani?"
This one seemed to be an easy one, as most fans figured it out even before the post made 10 comments. Nick Dee went ahead to defend his post by denying it being an April fool’s day prank. He then for the rest of the posts went ahead to update his fans on the weekend plans under the takeover brothers’ umbrella. It was a marketing ploy well-executed.
Sam K to vie for political post
Shrewd, youthful city businessman Sam K stunned many of his followers after announcing that come August 9, he would be the voice of reason after taking up a role as a member of the Senate.
Given his popularity, deep pockets and political allies, this almost passed as believable. Numerous comments followed on his page with the majority promising to visit his Liquor House business to show solidarity and support in his new bid. He however it laughed off saying, "You need to stay Taliban as nobody knows the day nor the hour. Happy April fools day dear friends. Now I know my genuine friends who would stand with me."
His post bore fruits as by late afternoon his premises along Kiambu road was already a full house as revellers waited to surprise him.
Dj Stylez buys new Bentley
Code Red Dj Stylez really rang the April fools bell, first by posting a picture of the interior of a Bentley, wristwatch and hand on steering wheel captioning ‘Finally…’
Of course the few fans who commented had already figured out the prank. Stylez went ahead and posted what seemed like a video, warning his followers that it had upsetting content. But those who clicked on it quickly realized that it was an image, not video. One of his followers who felt really fooled commented "Karibu nitoboe screen ya simu" as he had tried to play the 'video' severally.
Ruai Family Healthcare, RFH offers to give a free chopper ride over the Easter holidays.
The health facility shared a post on their social media indicating that they had suspended their new Air emergency response service to gift a lucky winner a chance to fly with their chopper to a destination of their choice in Kenya for the Easter holidays.
"Tell us in the comment section why you deserve to fly with us and you could be our next winner," they asked, prompting shocked reactions from their fans, most still unaware of the April 1st jokes.
"It's a great way to create viral content that will then introduce a new service," they later shared, "especially to those still not aware of the new developments."
Kentwood Address teases rooftop lounge.
The uptown suites and lounge, the popular establishment in the leafy suburbs of Runda just off Kiambu Road which recently hosted the reception for rapper Juliani’s recent nuptials to Lillian Nganga, used the April Fools buzz to tease fans with an offer they couldn’t refuse.
In a creative post, Kentwood shared a virtual but near-real-life photo showcasing a rooftop lounge they are adding to their catalogue and building up to its grand opening.
"This one is for the books. Tag a friend and share on their wall a funny caption about why you hate hanging out with them. Comment with the most likes wins dinner for two, a night at our exclusive Presidential suite and bottomless drinks through the grand opening tonight. We start early!"
The post amassed several hilarious comments, most being ridiculous as the authors tried to outdo each other soliciting for likes from the readers.
Management later announced that all participants would be considered for the red carpet affair scheduled for later this month.
Nairobi West Niccur
The fast-growing @thrift_.trendy owner Nairobi West Niccur also announced his political decision to run for the Nairobi West MCA seat. He citied a picture of himself alongside Hon. Raila Odinga with a vijana na baba hashtag saying, "Our political leaders will know our priorities only if we tell them, again and again, and if those priorities begin to show up in the polls. I’ve decided to vie for the Nairobi west MCA seat to represent the youth!! Vote for change."
However, his post was met with plenty of scepticism, with many reactions of congratulations but many more saying "Happy Fools Day". This got over 16k views on his Instagram page.
Sosuun and Vivian
The two created social media buzz with a well-planned and orchestrated social media feud.
Days before April Fools, Vivian called out Sosuun on her silence in the music industry telling her 1.1 million instagram followers, "Flow hatari but kwani mistari ziliisha?" which prompted a heated exchange between the two and their fans. Many responded back demanding for the new song instead of wasting their fans’ time with the now old and tiresome clout chasing for marketing. ‘Toeni hi ngoma muwache kutusumbua’ a fan said.
Finally Vivian redirected her fans to her youtube channel saying "Mumetuchongoa mpaka tukaingia trending pale Youtube" with their new collaboration ‘Chachisha’.
